Motorcyclists have launched an attack on a mosque in the northern Nigerian state of Niger, killing at least 18 worshipers, two residents told Reuters on Monday.
The gunmen entered the Maza-Kuka community in Masegu district at around 5pm, the two residents said.
” As soon as they arrived, they went straight to the mosque and started throwing at the worshipers indiscriminately, ” said Abdulganiyu Hassan.
Hassan added that the militants abducted at least 10 civilians.
Belo Ayuba, a resident of the community and an eyewitness, added that at least 20 other people were injured.
For nearly a decade, northern and central Nigeria have been the scene of frequent attacks by armed gangs, generally referred to by bandits as “thugs”, or “gangsters” – who raid villages and commit animal theft. , looting, murder and kidnappings for ransom.
However, state and local officials in the state of Niger said earlier this month that the Boko Haram jihadist group had spread there and had taken over several communities, offering money to villagers and recruiting them to fight government forces.
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